Toy railway train



p 15, 1959, w. R. YMGLAIN ET AL 2,903,817

TQY-RAILWAY TRAIN Filed April 10, 1958 IN VENTORS H mm A o w C Mm A D; A MW mam MG W v United States Patent TOY RAILWAY TRAIN Application April 10, 1958, Serial No. 727,712 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-44 This invention relates to motivated toy railway trains and more particularly to an assemblage of railway car units, wherein at least one of said car units includes a car unit wherein an object of light weight is supported in suspended position above said car unit, without any visible means of support, the object following the path of movement of the car unit around a track assemblage and it consists in the constructions, arrangements and combinations herein described and claimed. 7

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a toy railway car unit which may be coupled in an assemblage of cars which includes an electrically motivated engine for effecting motion of the car units about a track, said car unit having a body of hollow formation from end to end, there being a motor driven air blower mounted within said hollow body, so constructed as to rotate an impeller to draw air into said body through the open ends thereof, said blower comprising an upwa'rdly disposed air discharge nozzle or nozzles discharging blasts of air exteriorly of the hollow body for impingement upon an object of light weight, which normally rests upon a support above said nozzle or nozzles, for elevating the object above said air discharge nozzle or nozzles and maintain the same in such' elevated position for movement with the train assemblage around the track. a

1 Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will be apparent from the followingdescription considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,

wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a car unit constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, slightly enlarged, and

Figure Bis a perspective view of the blowerrimpeller There is illustrated a car unitgenerally indicated by the reference character 10, comprisingya suitable frame ll shaving wheels 12 for movement along a trackway 13 when drawn by an electrical engine, as is well "understood.

Upon the frame 11 there is securely mounted an elongated hollow body 14 having openings 15 and 16 at respective ends thereof, forming an air tunnel 17 into which air may be drawn through said openings by means of an impeller 18, as will now be described.

An electrical motor 19 is suitably mounted interiorly of the tunnel 17 which includes a driven shaft 20 which is operatively connected to the impeller 18 to effect rotation thereof.

The impeller 18 may be of any suitable construction, and in the present instance, we have shown a double ended centrifugal suction type of impeller comprising a cylindrical housing 21 having parallel spaced end walls 22, each of which is formed with an axially and oppositely disposed collar 23 which functions as air inlets, as will be presently understood. An intermediate annular wall 24 formed integrally with an axial hub 25 2,903,817 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 forms a means for connection with the shaft 20 of the motor, as shown in Figure 1. Between the end walls 22 and the intermediate wall 24, circurnferentially spaced flat vanes 26 are integrally formed, these vanes being radially extended and being in open communication with respective collars 23 of the housing 21 at the inner ends of the vanes, while the outer ends of the vanes 26 permit passage of airblasts exteriorly of the hollow housing by means of a suitable air exhaust, as will now be explained.

Obviously, a controlled and balanced discharge of air currents must be attained for proper support of the object indicated at 27, and to this end the blower 18 is enclosed in a housing 28 having apertures through which the collars 23 may project so as to admit incoming air and further includes a vertical inwardly tapered air discharge nozzle 29 in communication with the blower and of a length to extend exteriorly of the hollow body 14 of the unit. The nozzle 29 is of a diameter as to permit the installation of a second air discharge nozzle 30, of lesser diameter, which is likewise of tapered formation in an upward direction. As best seen in Figure 2, the air discharge nozzle 30 is medially supported within the nozzle 29 by means of circumferentially spaced partitions 31, and it will be further noted that the discharge end of the nozzle 30 terminates above the discharge end of the nozzle 29, which is important in maintaining the elevation and balance of the object 27, as will be apparent from the description of the operation of the device.

In order that the object 27 may have an inactive seated position above the air discharge nozzles 29 and 30, an upstanding annular sleeve 32 is secured to the body 14 and is in encircled relation to said discharge nozzles, so as to seat the object above the nozzles.

The power supplied to the motor 19 of the unit may be picked up from the track system of model train layouts by any appropriate means, as by utilizing metal wheels or sliders as indicated at 33. It will be understood that the speed of the velocity of air column is in direct proportion to the amount of power that is made available to the motor 19. This power is supplied to the track system'through a power supply which furnishes current of proper voltage and amperage to the electric train system, and the power supply has a variable output which directly controls both the speed of the train and the velocity of the column of air that is being projected from the turbine 18.

, In use, the unit 10 being one of a series of cars in a toy train assemblage being drawn by means of a conventional toy electrical engine (not shown) with the object 27 seated upon the upper end of the sleeve 32 and it, is desiredto elevate the object 27, the circuit to the motor 19 is completed through the means 33, the turbi'rie"18 ,wil1 be rotated, which rotation of the turbine willcause suction of'air through the open ends 15 and 16 of the body, the air being drawn into the turbine by the vanes 26 and discharged into the nozzles 29 and 30, as indicated by the arrows. Due to the fact that the nozzle 30 is of lesser diameter than the nozzle 29 and in closer relation to the object 2'7, the air discharged therethrough will strike or impinge the object in a direct line with the center of the object; while air discharged through the nozzle 29 will impinge or strike the object at equally spaced points removed from the center of the object, due to passage of air between the spaced partitions 31. The object will thus be elevated from the sleeve 32 and maintained in elevated balanced position thereabove throughout movement of the train assemblage upon the track, the object appearing to be suspended and motivated without any visible support.

While we have shown and described a preferred form of the invention, this is by way of illustration only, and v controlled and balanced blasts of air throughsaid air discharge opening. I v t 2. A toy railway train unit comprising means for 'elevating and maintaining an. object of light weight above said unit comprising a hollow body member having anair'inlet at respective ends thereof, an air discharge opening being provided in an upper portion of said body 7 member, means for seating said object above said' air discharge opening, a driven blower within said body memher for creating a suction of air through the air inlets of said hollow body member and discharging; the air through the air discharge opening and said air discharge opening having at least one air controlling nozzle pro viding balanced blasts of air upon said object.

3. A toy railway train unit comprising a means for elevating and maintaining an object of light weight above said unit comprising a hollow body member having an air inlet at respective ends thereof, an air discharge opening being provided in an upper portion. of said. body member, means for seating said object above said air discharge opening, a driven blower within the body menrher for creating a suction of air through the air inlets of said hollow body member and discharging the air through said air discharge opening a pair of nozzles mounted withinv said air discharge opening; one of said nozzles being located so as to discharge air blasts in a direct line with the center of the object and the" other of said nozzles being constructed to discharge blasts oi air at equally spaced points removed from the center of said object.

4. A toy railway train unit comprising means forelevating and maintaining an object of light weight above said unit comprising a hollow body member having'an air inlet at respective ends thereof, an air discharge" opening being provided in an upper portion of said bodymenr' her, means for seating said object above said discharge opening, a driven blower within said body me'mber'for 5. A toy railway train unit comprising means for elevating and maintaining an object of light weight above said unit comprising a hollow body member having air inlets at respective ends thereof, an air discharge opening being provided in an upper portion of said body member, means for seating said object above said discharge opening, an electrically driven: blower within said body member for creating a. suction oi air through the air inlets of said hollow body and continuously discharging the air through saidair discharge opening, a housing for said blower having a-tap'ered discharge nozzle disposed within said discharge opening of the body member, a second tapered air discharge nozzle of lesser diameter than said first nozzle and' encompassed thereby, equally spaced circumferentially and vertically disposed partitions connecting said nozzles defining air passages therebetween, said second named air discharge nozzle being in a closer proximity to said object of light weight than the first mentioned nozzle whereby to discharge blasts of air in a direct line with the center of the' object and said air passages between said nozzles discharging air blasts at equally spaced points removed from the center of the object.

6. In combination with a toy train assemblage including. an electric engine for effecting movement of the assemblage upon atrackway, one unit of said assemblage comprising. an elongated body of hollow formation havingrespective open ends providing air inlets, an air discharge opening being provided in an upper portion of saidbocly member, an electrically actuated dual' suction blower within said body member for creating air suction through the open ends of said body member, a housing for said blower having a discharge nozzle disposed within said discharge opening of the body member, a further nozzle oflesser diameter than said' first nozzle member and encompassed thereby, equally spaced circumferentially'spaced partitions connecting said nozzles defining vertically disposed air passages, a seat above said air discharge opening and said nozzles for support of an object. ofi light weight, the nozzle of lesser diameter discharging air blasts in a. directline with the center of the object andvsaid air. passages between said nozzles discharging air blasts at equally spaced points removed from the center of the object, and said blower beingpowcred throughv the: source: of current applied to the trackway, which! is variable in: output, thereby controlling the speed of the train assemblage and the velocity of the columrrof air discharged from said blower.

k'eierenceszCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,816,521 Feeley July 28, 1,931 2',1 18,.609 Klug. May- 24, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 475,539 France May 25, 191 5 

